Eggplant and Green Tomato Pottu Kadalai Kozhambu

Sometimes, the hardest part about sharing a recipe here for me is to come up with a name that describes it well. Now, the traditional dishes are easy - they have recognizable names that I can readily use/alter. But since fusion cuisine is my signature, and I tend to throw things together, rather than exotic-sounding names, I try to label the dish based on the ingredients used for easy reference :)

Anyway, the title Eggplant and Green Tomato Pottu Kadalai Kuzhambu covers the primary ingredients in this recipe. Kozhambu is a spicy sauce-dish from South India which can be made with practically any of the lentils, grams and vegetables common to the region, and is typically served with plain hot rice.

Pottu Kadalai is a staple in my mom's kitchen - used for chutney, podi (powder), urundai (caramelized balls - dessert). It roughly translates to roasted Bengal gram, although am not sure this is the common English name for it. When toasted lightly and powdered, Pottu Kadalai is quite versatile as a thickener for soups and even making sandwich spread (with other ingredients).

In this recipe, I make a simple base for the sauce, cook it with water for desired consistency, and top it with pan-fried green tomatoes, onions and eggplant. Of course, any favorite vegetable combination can be used, but, I just happened to have harvested these from my home-garden and was excited to use them.

The light tang from lemon juice and sun-dried tomatoes, combined with heat from black pepper and red chilies, balanced by the hint of brown sugar makes this quite a favorite at home. But, for a hot dish, simply leave out lemon juice and brown sugar and increase the chilies :)




Ingredients
2 green tomatoes
3 small Ichiban eggplant
1 medium yellow onion
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp canola oil
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice (adjust to taste)
1 tsp brown sugar
salt to taste


for the sauce base:
4-6 Tbsp Pottu Kadalai (roasted split bengal gram)
3-4 sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil
2 Tbsp whole black pepper
2 Tbsp dry grated coconut
3-4 dry red chilies

Preparation

1. Combine the sauce-base ingredients in a blender or food processor and grind to a smooth paste, adding water as needed
2. Heat the oil in a pan and pan-fry the vegetables, remove from pan and keep handy
3. Add some turmeric powder, sauce paste, some water, some salt to the same pan and allow to simmer over medium-low heat gently till it starts to thicken, stirring constantly; if sauce is too watery, can add any favorite thickener - viz., arrowroot powder, cornstarch, rice powder or even pottu kadalai powder
4. Stir in lemon juice and brown sugar to taste and slide in the pan-fried vegetables
5. Serve warm with rice or naan or roti
6. Garnish with cilantro, spring onion, or even curry leaves if handy